


A Different Life

by MJ1999



Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - T. S. Eliot
Genre: Animal Transformation, Magic, Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:26:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25288297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MJ1999/pseuds/MJ1999
Summary: After one of Mr. Mistoffelees’ magic tricks goes amiss, the Jellicles find themselves in quite an odd predicament. Their Jellicle protector, Munkustrap, has undergone a most peculiar transformation.
Relationships: Etcetera & Jellylorum (Cats), Etcetera & Skimbleshanks (Cats), Jellylorum & Skimbleshanks (Cats), Mr. Mistoffelees/Rum Tum Tugger (Cats), Tuggoffolees
Comments: 11
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

“Okay, just… Stand right  _ there _ ,” Mistoffelees directed.

“Alright,” Munkustrap smiled, sauntering over to the place that was pointed out to him. On this particular day, he was aiding Mistoffelees in one of his tricks. “Tell me again, please. What will you be doing?”

“It’s a simple disappearing trick. I’m going to send you back to your den.” Mistoffelees explained, fiddling with the rim of his hat, something he did when he was anxious. He could teleport inanimate objects and  _ himself  _ easy enough. He’d only ever teleported another living thing once. The previous year, at the Jellicle ball, when he had saved Old Deuteronomy from Macavity’s clutches. He took a deep breath and readied his wand. Right before he was about to cast his spell, he was startled out of focus by a high pitched voice.   
  


“Hi Misto!” It was Victoria, the little white kitten. She was skipping over with her friends Jemima and Etcetera.

“Hello girls!” Munkustrap gave a friendly wave.

“Whatcha doin’?” Etcetera asked, excitedly bouncing around the two toms.

“Are you doing a magic trick on Munk?” Jemima’s eyes sparked. She idolized Mistoffelees for his magical abilities. She was even starting to show signs of possessing some herself!

“Ooh! Turn him pink!” Victoria suggested excitedly.

“No, no!” Jemima protested, “Blue!”

“ _ I  _ think he’s  _ beautiful  _ just the way he is…” Etcetera said affectionately, nuzzling Munkustrap’s leg.

Munkustrap chuckled, patting Etcetera on the head. “He isn’t doing anything of the sort. Tell ‘em, Mistoffelees!”

Mistoffelees put on his best announcer voice. “The magical Mr. Mistoffelees will perform his greatest trick… Well, his greatest trick this week. I will make Munkustrap, the Jellicle protector…  _ Disappear! _ ”

The kittens all gasped dramatically. “No, don’t, don’t!” Victoria squealed, wrapping her arms around Munkustrap’s leg.

“If he goes away, who will protect us from Macavity?” Etcetera asked.

“Ah, Macavity’s not so scary! I could beat him up with one paw tied behind my back!” Jemima boasted, puffing out her chest fluff.

Munkustrap smirked at the antics of the kittens. “I’m sure you could, Jemima. You’d send him running for the hills!” he encouraged.

“Don’t worry, girls. I’ll bring him  _ right  _ back,” Mistoffelees assured. He gave them a wink. “I brought Old Deuteronomy back, didn’t I?”

Victoria gasped. “If you can’t bring him back, maybe Tugger will sing about you, like he did last year at the ball!”

Etcetera’s eyes widened and a grin spread across her face. “Make him disappear! Make him disappear! I’ll get Tugger!” She started to run off but Jemima grabbed her tail.

“You’ll miss the trick!” she protested.

“I don’t think you have to go after all, Cettie,” Mistoffelees smiled, pointing to the entrance to the clearing. “Look who’s on his way over.”

The three kittens looked to see Rum Tum Tugger himself entering the junkyard clearing. The kittens began to squeal, scampering over and pawing at him. “Uncle Tugger! Uncle Tugger!” Jemima exclaimed, “Come see Misto’s trick!”

“He’s going to make Munk disappear!” Victoria added.

Tugger raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Let’s see this trick of his, then. But trust me.” He leaned down and whispered, “I’ve been trying to do that for years.”

The kittens giggled, skipping back over to Mistoffelees and Munkustrap.

“Alright.” Mistoffelees readied his wand again. “Everybody ready?”

“Ready!” Etcetera piped up.

“Shh!” Jemima put a paw over Etcetera’s mouth.

Mistoffelees pointed his wand at Munkustrap, closed his eyes and concentrated. Feeling the energy swirling around him, he envisioned Munkustrap’s den, and where inside of it he wanted Munkustrap to go. He felt the energy crackling at his fingertips, making its way down into the tip of his wand. But just before he could cast the spell…

“Was something supposed to happen?” Victoria asked.

“What’s  _ taking  _ so long?” Jemima added.

“You  _ guyyyysss! Shuuuush! _ ” Etcetera yelled.

Mistoffelees’ ears twitched. He felt the magic fading. And right when it was going to work! In a panic, he mustered up any energy he could latch onto, any at all, and from his wand came a blinding white light.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics (Slanted text) in quotation marks are telepathic messages being sent to Munkustrap

When the light faded, Munkustrap sat up. Groaning, he rested a paw on his head. Immediately, he knew something was wrong.

“What… Why am I… Where are my… My…  _ Ears? _ ” he inquired. He looked down at his friends and noticed something else. He had no fur. Just a bare, five-toed foot. Had Mistoffelees...  _ No _ . Shaking, Munkustrap looked to his paw to find that it wasn’t a paw at all. He wiggled his fingers, which were now long and pale, in front of his face. He looked around at his friends, who seemed to be trying to speak to him, but all he could hear was meowing! “I-I… I don’t know what you’re saying, I can’t… I can’t understand you! Please, please, stop!” he cried, putting his head in his hands. This wasn’t supposed to happen! How could a magic trick go so wrong? His heart was racing and he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“Oh…” Mistoffeleed sighed.

“Misto? What’s going on?” Jemima asked.

“Where is Munkustrap?” Etcetera added.

“Who is this human?” Victoria timidly hid behind Tugger, who stood in shock, staring at his brother.

“Girls…” Mistoffelees said, “This human…  _ Is  _ Munkustrap.” The five cats stared at Munkustrap for a moment. He looked so scared, sitting there shaking with his knees curled up to his chest. Then, Mistoffelees got an idea. He padded over to Munkustrap and tapped him on the leg.

Munkustrap looked down at Mistoffelees for a moment. Mistoffelees had his paws on Munkustrap’s leg and appeared to be concentrating hard.

“ _ Munkustrap? Can you hear this? _ ” a voice asked.

“Yes.” Munkustrap nodded. “Mistoffelees, is that you?”

“ _ It is. I know you’re scared. But we’re going to figure this out. _ ”

“Okay.” He gulped.

“Woooow!” Etcetera approached Munkustrap and stared up at him. “So this is  _ Munkustrap? _ ”

“Was that supposed to happen?” Victoria asked.

“Are you talking to him?” Jemima piped up.

“ _ Well! _ ” Tugger laughed, “I know Munk’s my  _ big _ brother, but  _ this  _ is  _ ridiculous! _ ”

Mistoffelees glared at him.

“What did they say?” Munkustrap inquired.

“ _ The girls are asking questions, and Tugger made a stupid joke. _ ” Mistoffelees replied.

Munkustrap ran a hand through his shoulder-length, brown hair and let out a chuckle. “Tell me the joke?” He really needed something to ease his nerves.

Mistoffelees sighed. “ _ I know Munk’s my big brother, but this is ridiculous, _ ” he deadpanned.

Munkustrap smiled. “That’s Tugger for you…”

At this point, Jemima, Victoria and Etcetera had surrounded Munkustrap, looking at him in awe. Etcetera even tried to climb him.

“Girls, girls,” Mistoffelees scolded, “Give him some space.”

“You’re so  _ tall _ , Munkustrap!” Etcetera exclaimed from on top of Munkustrap’s head.

He picked Etcetera up off his head and looked at her sadly.

Etcetera mewed confusedly.

“He doesn’t understand what we’re saying, Cettie…” Mistoffelees explained.

“But why can  _ we _ understand  _ him? _ ” Jemima asked.

“That I don’t know…” Mistoffelees sighed.

“Mistoffelees,” Munkustrap cut in, “Can you change me back?”

“ _I… I can try…_ _I’ve never seen anything like this before! Transmutation spells are very complicated, I never thought it could happen by accident…_ ” Mistoffelees took out his wand. “ _Sit very still_.”

Munkustrap nodded, straightening up.

Mistoffelees shut his eyes and concentrated, trying to recreate the same process that made this happen in the first place. He pointed his wand and… Nothing.

Munkustrap opened one eye. “Did it work? Am I a cat again?” He looked down to still find human legs and feet. He sighed, slumping his shoulders.

“ _ I-I have to practice on smaller objects first. The size of the target is a large factor in the success of the spell. I don’t want my magic to go wrong again and hurt you. _ ” Mistoffelees explained.

“I understand… Thank you Mistoffelees.” Munkustrap nodded.

Just then, the kittens noticed three cats padding their way over. It was Skimbleshanks, Jennyanydots and Jellylorum!

“Mommy!” Etcetera exclaimed, bounding over to Jellylorum, “Mommy, look what Misto did!” She pushed Jellylorum closer with her nose.

The three older cats stood in shock, staring at Munkustrap.

“Dear me! Munkustrap! Is that  _ you? _ ” Jennyanydots asked.

Munkustrap just gave her a look of confusion, tilting his head to the side.

“He can’t understand what you’re saying,” Mistoffelees supplied, “How did you know it was him?”

“Oh, Mistoffelees, I practically  _ raised  _ that child!” Jenny grinned. “I’d know those eyes  _ anywhere _ . That’s a tom- Or…  _ Man _ you can never forget.”

“Well,” Skimbleshanks spoke up, “Seems like you’ve found yourselves in quite the pickle! But I’m sure the  _ magical  _ Mr.  _ Mistoffelees  _ can fix this in a jiffy!”

“That’s the issue,” Mistoffelees said nervously, “This will take longer than expected. I have to go through my spell books to learn about transmutation. It’s too risky to try and turn him back without proper knowledge first. I could cast the completely wrong spell and set him on  _ fire! _ ”

“Like you did to uncle Tugger that one time!” Jemima giggled.

“I’m  _ still _ traumatized!” Tugger commented dramatically.

“Oh,  _ hush _ , your mane survived, boy,” Skimble chuckled.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Munkustrap cut in, “But Mistoffelees, do I need to hear any of this conversation?”

“ _ I’m just catching the others up to speed, _ ” Mistoffelees told him.

He nodded. Then he shivered. He had completely forgotten about the fall weather and his lack of fur. He was relieved that his fur seemed to have turned into a pair of pants and a shirt, so at least he wouldn’t freeze.


	3. Chapter 3

Munkustrap sat, wrapped in a large blanket that Jellylorum had retrieved from her and Skimble’s den. He watched as the group of Cats discussed the next logical course of action. He wished he could help, or participate in some way, but there wasn’t much he could do if he couldn’t understand.

Meanwhile, Tugger kept chiming in with his little remarks. Munkustrap could tell by the tone of his mews that he was making fun. It didn’t make things worse, but it definitely didn’t make things better. He felt his face get hot, and he could imagine he was as red as a beet. It was embarrassing, looking this way. He  _ already _ felt like a gangling mess of long limbs and weird, pale, thin fingers. He hadn’t even  _ begun  _ to try and stand on these two, long legs. He was sure that if he did, he’d fall on his arse which, most alarmingly, had no tail. He didn’t suppose it was very easy for humans to balance on two feet without tails. He didn’t know how they did it.

“Well.” Jelly gave Munkustrap a small smile. “I did always tell that boy he’d grow up to be taller than I! Granted, I didn’t mean for him to grow to six  _ feet! _ ”

Jennyanydots hopped up onto the tops of Munkustrap’s knees, which were still pulled up to his chest, and rested a paw on his cheek. “Oh, Munk… What a mare’s nest you’ve gotten yourself into…” she sighed.

Munkustrap blinked. He didn’t know how to react to that. What had she said? “Um… I’m sorry…”

“Jenny, don’t stress the boy more than he already is!” Jelly scolded.

Jenny hopped off of Munkustrap and returned to the conversation. “Mistoffelees, you’d best start your reading as soon as possible! I’m sure Munk would appreciate being back to normal come the night of the ball.”

“I know, I… I will. But first, we have to figure out what to do with Munk. He  _ can’t  _ stay  _ here _ .” Mistoffelees gestured to a sign at the entrance to the junkyard that read, “NO TRESPASSING”. If Munkustrap was caught here, he’d surely be taken in by the police!

“There is that, isn’t there… But where is he to  _ go? _ ” Jelly asked.

“ _ Right  _ then!” Skimble spoke up, “I’m taking him to the station! The stationmaster’s been going on about needing some new hired hands. During long trips, Munkustrap will stay in the workers’ bunk car. It’ll give the lad some spare cash as well.”

“But how do you expect them to hire him?” Mistoffelees inquired, “ _ Munkustrap  _ exists, but technically, this  _ human _ doesn’t. Not legally, anyway. He has no proof of identification!”

“Don’t you worry about that, Misto,” Skimble assured him, “This old tom’s got his ways.”

Mistoffelees raised a brow. “Well, alright…” He turned to Munkustrap, laid his paws on him again, and sent him another message. “ _ Munkustrap. Go with Skimbleshanks. He’s going to take you to the train station, where you’ll ask for work. You… Can’t stay here. Cats living in a junkyard is one thing. But humans won’t take so kindly to your trespassing, considering this is private property... _ ”

Munkustrap frowned. “I… Suppose you’re right…” He turned to Skimble. “Alright.” Then, carefully, he held onto a large bureau and used it as leverage to pull himself up onto his feet. He wobbled on his new legs for a moment before steadying himself. Huh. This was easier than he’d thought! “Let’s go.”

“Wait.” Mistoffelees approached Skimble for a moment. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Skimble’s. The area faintly glowed for a short time before fading.

Skimble looked at him quizzically. “What was that?”

“I’ve temporarily passed a piece of my magical abilities to you. You’ll be able to telepathically connect with Munkustrap for a short while.” Mistoffelees smiled. “Try it out.”

Skimble hopped closer to Munkustrap and touched his leg. “ _ Can you hear me, Munkustrap? _ ”

Startled by the new voice in his head, Munkustrap stumbled back for a moment, catching himself on a bookshelf. He stared at Skimble, eyes wide. “Skimble, was that you?”

Skimble nodded. He chuckled, coming closer again to send another message. “ _ Mistoffelees has passed his telepathic abilities to me for a little bit. As long as you’re in contact with me, you’ll be able to hear my thoughts. Are you ready to go? _ ”

Munkustrap knelt down and picked Skimble up, holding him tightly. At least he was going somewhere where he’d have a friend nearby… “Alright…” He turned to Mistoffelees. “Tell Alonzo to keep Tugger out of trouble for me,” he joked. “Well... Goodbye…”

As they left the yard, Munkustrap glanced back at his friends. The kittens tried to follow, bounding around his feet as he walked.

“Bye-bye Munkustrap!” Etcetera called.

“We’ll miss you!” Victoria added.

“I don’t want him to go…” Jemima sulked, lagging behind.

Jenny dolefully watched him go. “... Take care of him, Skimble…” she sighed.


	4. Chapter 4

Munkustrap had been to the train station many times in his life. He liked to tag along with Skimble when he was a kitten, as he looked up to the older tom. He continued to accompany him well into his adult years. He liked to watch the people mill about from platform to platform. He would see families give tearful goodbyes, hellos, and children running to meet their visiting aunts, uncles and grandparents. It was nice. Once in a while, people would stop to pet him, or give him a scratch under the chin. Sometimes children would drop scraps of their food to him, often being met with a scolding from their parents. But Munkustrap was always grateful for the care and affection.

This visit to the station, however, was different. He wasn’t darting between crowds, swerving through walking feet. He was walking among the people. He had begun to feel nervous. He _looked_ like one of them. But could he _play the part?_

As they walked deeper into the station, they began to hear voices yelling out over the hustle and bustle of the patrons. “Boss!” the voices cried, “Where is Boss!” Boss is Skimble's human given name.

“ _Follow those voices, lad. Tell them you found me round the ticket booth chasing mice,_ ” Skimble thought to him.

Munkustrap nodded. He approached a man with a handlebar mustache who was wearing a stationmaster’s hat. “Excuse me, sir.”

The stationmaster turned around to see Munkustrap approaching with Skimble happily hanging in his arms. His worried face spread into a big grin. “Boss! There you are, silly boy!”

Munkustrap handed Skimble over to the stationmaster, who set him down on the ground. “I found him hunting for mice over by the ticket booth. He’s yours, yes?”

“Oh, no, no!” the stationmaster let out a boisterous laugh. “Boss here’s the one in charge! I have to thank you for finding him. The train simply can’t go without Boss around to keep things running smoothly.”

“Uh-huh…” Munkustrap nodded. “Um, sir. Before you depart, do you have a moment?”

“Oh, I suppose. What can I do for you?” the stationmaster asked.

“Well, I’ve heard tell of you looking for some station hands. I’ve come to apply for the position.” Munkustrap stood up as straight and proper as possible.

The stationmaster inspected him over his round glasses. “Mmm… Ah, you look like a strong young lad. And oh!” He looked down to see Skimble rubbing his side against Munkustrap’s legs, purring. Skimble rolled over onto his back. “Seems Boss's taken to you already! Alright! Come, follow me!” The stationmaster led Munkustrap to the luggage van. “Start loading these bags. When you’re done, let me know. After that, I’ll let you go for the night. Come back in the morning for your first real shift.”

Munkustrap did as he was told. He started to load the bags while Skimble hung around and watched. When he finished, Skimble got ready to board the train. He gave him a wave goodbye with his long brown tail. He’d see him again.

Once the train had left the station, Munkustrap milled about a little bit, trying to figure out where he could go for the night. He jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see the stationmaster. “Oh, you scared me,” he chuckled.

“Do forgive me! You seem… Lost,” the stationmaster commented, “Haven’t you anywhere to go?”

Hesitantly, Munkustrap shook his head.

The stationmaster gave him a pitying look. “Come with me.” He waved his hand as he turned to leave. Munkustrap followed close behind him as he was led through the station until they came to a stop in front of a room off near the very back of the building. “None of my workers go unsheltered.”

Munkustrap tilted his head as the stationmaster opened the door. Inside the small room were four beds. It looked like it housed a few more workers as well, as there were some bags tucked under the bottom bunk of each bed.

“The rest of the boys are off working on the train for the night. You’ll have the night alone to get settled in,” The stationmaster explained as Munkustrap went to sit on one of the empty beds, “What’s your name, young man?”

Munkustrap thought for a moment. Did he give him his real name? As he sat there, he realized he couldn’t ponder it for too long, or he would seem suspicious. He looked at the stationmaster and said with certainty, “They call me Munkustrap. Or Munk, for short.”

“Huh. Odd name.” The stationmaster shrugged. “Well, Munk. Welcome to the team! You can call me Mr. Anderson.” He held out a hand.

  
“It’s good to meet you.” Munkustrap took his hand and shook it with a smile. With Skimble around and a friendly face… Perhaps this _would_ be bearable. He laid down on the bed and within minutes, he was fast asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

When Munkustrap awoke the next morning, he opened his eyes to find Skimble curled up, sleeping on his chest. He smiled. It was strange, looking at him from a human’s perspective. “Good morning, old boy…” he sighed.

Skimble opened his eyes to see Munkustrap watching him. He meowed. It seemed Mistoffelees’ telepathy spell had worn off.

“Well, wouldja look at that,” said a man with a thick cockney accent, “Boss's made a pal!” He was leaning over the railing of the bunk above Munkustrap. He had a cheerful smile on his face, shaggy red hair and big brown eyes. He reached a hand down to Munkustrap. “The name’s Chester! Chester Briggs!”

Munkustrap smiled, shaking Chester’s hand. “Munkustrap. Munkustrap, um… Deuteronomy.”

“Munkustrap Deuteronomy, eh? Hah! Can I call ya Munk?” Chester asked.

“Of course!”

“Alright then, Munk! This here is Oliver Davies,” he gestured to a thin man with jet black hair who appeared to be around nineteen or so, “Jack Wright,” he introduced a man with neatly styled, curly blonde hair and tan skin, “And George Taylor!” The last man was quite interesting to Munkustrap. He was black, with vitiligo that covered his left eye and the right side of his mouth. It reminded him of Alonzo.

Oh, how he would miss Alonzo. Taking walks about the junkyard, patrolling with him, hunting for mice. He only hoped Mistoffelees could fix this sooner rather than later. He sighed.

“You okay, Munk?” Oliver inquired, raising a brow.

“Hm? Oh, yes, sorry. Just homesick, is all.” Munkustrap responded.

“Ah, Mr. Anderson told us you’d no place to go.” George nodded.

“Your folks throw ya out?” Chester asked.

Munkustrap almost said yes. He supposed that _was_ what happened. But it was for his own good… He couldn’t fault them for that. “... It was for the best.” He shrugged, stroking Skimble’s back. “We’re still on good terms. It just isn’t… The best place for me at the moment.”

Skimble purred, leaning into his hand.

“Ah, well, you’re with us now! Stick with me and you’ll do _just_ fine!” Jack gave Munkustrap a big grin. It was almost like those big smiles Tugger was famous for in their family… 

“Stick with _us_.” Oliver playfully smacked Jack on the shoulder.

“Ow,” Jack deadpanned.

Munkustrap chuckled at their antics. But he couldn’t help drifting off into thought. He wondered how Mistoffelees was doing back in the yard. If he was making any progress with the transmutation spell.

Just then, Skimble got up and sauntered out of the room, presumably to start his workday.

George smiled. “Hmm, sweet cat. I wonder what he’s thinking…”

Munkustrap watched Skimble leave, sighing. “I wish I knew…”


	6. Chapter 6

Meanwhile, in the junkyard, Mistoffelees was up late into the morning scouring all his spell books for information on transmutation spells. What he had found was that there were different kinds of transmutation spells. There were spells for turning an inanimate object into another inanimate object, spells for turning an inanimate object into a living thing, turning a living thing into an inanimate object, and turning a living thing into another living thing, which was the one he had to focus on. He was surprised to read that while it was easy to  _ perform _ a transmutation spell, it wasn’t so easily reversed.

“Oh my…” he sighed, “This will be harder than I thought…”

“Mmm?” Tugger groaned from the nest. He opened one eye. “Misto? What are you doing still up? It’s eight in the morning.”

“I have to figure out this transmutation spell. I had no idea it required _ components _ .”

Tugger sat up. “What do you need?”  
  
“A sprig of sage, a silver bell, one of Munk’s cat hairs, and one of his human hairs,” Mistoffelees read off the page.

“I’m sure Jerrie and Teazer could snag the sage and the bell. Getting the human hair shouldn’t be difficult, just a simple pluck. And Munk’s nest has to be  _ full of  _ fur!” Tugger grinned. “Now, come to bed. We can figure this out in the morning.”

“Just a little bit longer…”

“Come on… Cuddle Bug…” He smirked.

Mistoffelees couldn’t help but smile. He loved it when Tugger called him Cuddle Bug. Relenting, he crawled into the nest and curled up next to Tugger. “They say you don’t care for a cuddle…” he mused, shutting his eyes.

  
“Well,  _ they  _ don’t know me like you do…” Tugger growled playfully. He chuckled, wrapping his arms around his mate. They laid there for a few moments before Tugger drifted off to sleep, purring softly in Mistoffelees’ ear.


	7. Chapter 7

Working at the station was surprisingly relaxing. Despite the hustle and bustle of the people coming and going, the loud squeal of the train whistles, and the clack of the tracks, Munkustrap found himself drifting off into his thoughts as he loaded bags into the luggage van of one of the trains as the passengers boarded. It was, of course, much easier than the previous night’s work, as he now had the help of his companions, who were much more experienced.

“So, Munk! Where ya from?” Chester asked suddenly, pulling Munkustrap from his thoughts.

“Hm? Oh! I’ve lived in London all my life,” Munkustrap replied.

“Have you ever travelled before?” Oliver inquired as he lifted a bag, carefully placing it inside the luggage van.

“I haven’t! Working on the rails will be my first time leaving the city!” Munkustrap said excitedly.

“Ah, a city boy, are we? Well,” Jack laughed, “This’ll be a good first trip. Not overly long. It’ll take a whole day at most to arrive, and a day to return.”  
  
Skimble meowed, emerging from the luggage van. Taking inventory Munkustrap assumed.

Just then, a high voice was heard over the small crowd around the train. “There he is!”

“Get him!”  
  
“Guyyyyyysss! Wait for _me!_ ” It was the station master’s daughters. Three of them, at least. They were young. There was Margie who was eight, Gemma who was ten, and Beatrix who was twelve.

Skimble folded his ears back and bolted, but the little girls were too fast and Margie grabbed him by the tail, pulling him back and hugging him close.

Munkustrap acted quickly, gently taking Skimble from the child and setting him back onto his feet.

Skimble meowed appreciatively before running off.

“Don’t do that,” Munkustrap chided the children, “You wouldn’t like it if one of your friends grabbed you by your _pigtail_ and squeezed _you_ , would you?”

The girls looked to their feet. “No…” Beatrix sighed.

“Skimb- I mean... Boss doesn’t like it when you pull his tail or squeeze him too hard. It hurts him.” Munkustrap continued.

“We just wanted to play with him!” Margie expressed.

“A cat isn’t a toy like your dolls are. He’s alive, just like you. He deserves the same amount of respect that you’d give any other person. Besides,” Munkustrap leaned closer and whispered, “He’s your father’s boss.”

The girls giggled at that.

“Now, why don’t you go find Boss and _apologize?_ ” Munkustrap suggested.

“Apologize to a _cat?_ ” Gemma asked incredulously.

“Why, yes! I’m sure he’d love to play with you. _If_ you treat him with kindness. Don’t grab him. Pet him. I happen to know he _loves_ to be scratched _right_ in between his ears.” Munkustrap smiled.

The girls looked at each other for a moment before nodding and running off to find the orange cat, presumably to apologize.

Munkustrap watched them go with a chuckle, shaking his head.

“Adorable little scamps, aren’t they?” a voice asked from behind.

Munkustrap turned around to see the stationmaster’s other daughter, Matilda.

Matilda was the oldest of the family at twenty-five. She was now holding Skimble in her arms, who purred contentedly as she scratched his ears. She smiled warmly. “Thank you for teaching them a thing or two about how to respect animals. Poor Boss is going to go grey because of them one of these days,” she laughed.

“Between you, me, and the cat, I think he’s already starting to,” Munkustrap whispered, smirking.

Skimble looked almost offended at that. Munkustrap knew _just_ what he would say right now if he could speak human. “ _Lad, any grey fur I have is from kitten-sitting you and your brothers._ ”

“I don’t think we’ve met yet. My father mentioned he had a new hire.” Matilda set Skimble down and held out her hand. “Call me Tilly. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”  
  


“The pleasure’s all mine! My name is Munkustrap.” Munkustrap shook her hand with a smile. Suddenly, the train whistle blew and Munkustrap knew that meant it was time to board. “I’m sorry to cut our meeting short, but I’ve got to go. I hope to see you again!”

“We will! I wish you well on your trip!” Tilly smiled as she watched the crew, and Skimble, board the train.

Once Munkustrap and his companions had boarded, the four men just smirked at him.

“What?” Munkustrap tilted his head, confused.

“You smooth _bastard_.” Chester grinned.

“Excuse me?” Munkustrap was even more confused now.

“Oh, nothing, nothing.” George rolled his eyes, smiling.

Munkustrap raised an eyebrow, but let it go. He had work to do.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gee! It's been a while! I promise I haven't abandoned this story! I've just had bad writer's block recently. But I'm back into it and you'll be seeing more from this!

“So, how are you doing with the spell?” Munkustrap asked, sitting on his bed the night he returned from his trip. Mistoffelees had come for a visit and to swipe a piece of Munkustrap’s hair.

“ _ It’s slow going, I’m afraid. It’ll be a little more complicated than I originally thought. I’ll need to practice on smaller test subjects first. And there are components involved, _ ” Mistoffelees thought to him.

“Components?” Munkustrap tilted his head.

“Yes. I’ll need one piece of your hair, and one piece of your cat fur. I’ve already gotten your fur from your nest. And now…” Mistoffelees leaned up and plucked a hair from Munkustrap’s head.

“Ow!” Munkustrap nearly hissed.

“I’ve got the second component! The rest shouldn’t be so simple…” Mistoffelees sighed.

“What do you need?” Munkustrap asked.

“ _ A sprig of sage and a silver bell. I thought I’d have some sage, but I couldn’t find it with my herbs… _ ”

“Perhaps I can help!” Munkustrap suggested, “I’m sure I could find some in town!”

“Oi!” a voice laughed, “Lookit this! Munk talks to cats!”

Munkustrap whipped his head to look at the door. Standing there were Chester, Oliver, Jack and George, each with cheeky grins on their faces. “H-how long have the two of you been there?” Munkustrap inquired.

“Long enough to witness the  _ cat whisperer  _ in action.” George came into the room and sat on the end of Munkustrap’s bed, reaching out to pet Mistoffelees.

Chester leaned on the ladder of the bunk bed. “Where’d you find this guy?”

“Oh, he…” Munkustrap tried to think of a clever lie, “He’s mine! His name is Mistoffelees. He would hang around where I used to live and… I would feed him! So he just kept coming around. I took him here to see if he could familiarize himself with  _ this _ place now. Until I can go home…”

The four bagmen could see the sadness on Munkustrap’s face.

Oliver sighed. “Hey. I know how you feel. We’re all in the same boat. No home to go back to.”

“Really?” Munkustrap tilted his head. “What’s your story?”

“...  _ Our _ story,” Jack began, putting an arm around Oliver’s shoulder, “Is that our families couldn’t handle the thought of two men in love.”

“They kicked us out after finding out we were together.” Oliver added, “Mr. Andersen took us in, fed us, gave us jobs. I guess he felt for us, having experienced discrimination for his sexuality too.”

Munkustrap raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with two men being in love?”

“That’s the point.  _ Nothing.  _ People are just too dumb to see it,” Jack sighed.

Mistoffelees frowned. He had no idea humans could be so cruel. People are just people, what difference did it make who they love? Looking at Jack and Oliver, he thought of himself and Tugger. He couldn’t  _ imagine  _ the tribe throwing them out for something so simple as love.

“Humans just abandon their family, their children, just like  _ that? _ ” Munkustrap couldn’t fathom the idea. Casting out your own flesh and blood for something so beautiful. Love was one of the most beautiful things in the world, yet there were kinds of love that were  _ frowned upon  _ in human society?

Munkustrap’s colleagues gave him a strange look.

“I don’t know what part of London  _ you’re _ from, Munk,” Chester said, “But I  _ sure _ do wanna live there.”

Oh. That’s right. He couldn’t let on that he wasn’t human, not  _ really. _

“Oh, I… I grew up in a very accepting environment,” he clarified sheepishly.

“So why’d you leave home?” George inquired.

Munkustrap scrambled for an acceptable answer. “I… Don’t really want to talk about it. Sore spot,” he tacked on at the end.

George shrugged. “Fair enough.”

“What about you?” Munkustrap looked to Chester.

“I’m a runaway.” Chester folded his arms. “Rich family. Too many expectations. I couldn’t handle it.”

Munkustrap nodded. “George?”

“Orphaned. I spent my life in the foster system,” George replied, “Turned eighteen and they booted me out. Since I started working here, Mr. Andersen’s been like a dad to me.”

“But you still call him Mr. Andersen? What’s his name?” Munkustrap asked.

“Glenn,” Chester responded, “But we call him Mr. Andersen ‘cause it sounds cool.”

“Oh. Huh. Well, I guess I will too then!” Munkustrap yawned, “I’m going to get some sleep now. Goodnight.” Munkustrap got under the covers and laid down as Mistoffelees hopped off the bed and scampered out the door.

“Bye Misto, come back soon!” Chester called after him with a smile.

Mistoffelees hurried out of the train station and back to the junkyard with the long strand of hair he had pulled from Munkustrap’s head. When he arrived back at the yard, he dropped the hair into a little box he had pulled out to keep all the components in. He didn’t want to lose a single one of them. He crawled into bed with Tugger, but he couldn’t calm his nerves. This was going to be tough.


End file.
